In Memoriam
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: Videl is used to cheer and happiness on the anniversary of the Cell Games. The world survived and that's a good thing. When she visits Gohan she finds the happiness is not universal for her friend or his family. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : I meant to get this up for Memorial Day, but I've been up on getting time or energy to finish it. The second half should be up sometime in the next week. Hope you all enjoy, and a salute to anyone who has lost someone in war.

The optimism in the atmosphere was palpable. Videl was used to being in the center of it- rather her father being in the center of it. This year was no different for the anniversary of the Cell Games. Everyone was in celebration of the earth still standing, with Satan City as the epicenter. Videl was used to it. However, unable to escape the loud cheers became annoying after a while.

She sipped her drink, watching as Sharpener played a strength-o-meter with her father's grinning face at top. It was kind of unnerving, especially with the rest of the machine being modeled after Cell. She glanced at Erasa, "Where's Gohan?" she asked. There was no school today, and the reclusive nerd failed to show up. She wouldn't be worried about it if not for his absence yesterday as well.

No, she was not actually worried for her friend. It was none of her business. Same for Erasa, so could her best friend stop giving her that smirk?

"I don't know." The blonde shrugged.

Videl pursed her lips. When she asked him a few days ago what he would be doing for the celebrations, he gave her a look that read that she was crazy and he was a kicked puppy. It was one that did not leave him for the rest of the day.

No, she was not worried about him.

Maybe she could go drag him out of his house and get her shy friend to cheer up. The festivals around the world can be obnoxious, yet they were great to just lose yourself in for the day. That was the whole point.

Videl said goodbye to her friends and then told her father that she will be out of town for the day. That took a moment of explaining – she just wanted air away from the festivities – and she flew off.

It took a few hours for her to reach Gohan's house. She was amazed at his dedication to make this a roundtrip every day. She rolled her eyes good naturedly about halfway there. He was so weird. The little house was hard to find within the wilderness, and Videl hoped that this one in the middle of nowhere was right, or else this would be very awkward.

It would be awkward either way. She slowed her feet as she approached the door. Videl had not called ahead or given any indication of her arrival out of the blue. It had been a spur of the moment decision to make a long trip in the first place. She swallowed. This was fine. She would check on Gohan, apologize for her intrusion, and then leave.

The Son household was… off. There was a heavy, solemn air around the place. She could see no one outside playing the silly little games people came up for the holiday or having a picnic in the nice weather. Instead, the windows were all shut, like they imagined it was in the middle of the night and wanted for the day to disappear. She pushed her hair back in a nervous gesture. Maybe no one was home. It wasn't odd for a family to celebrate at a friend's house.

Videl stayed by the door, hand raised, for a minute before she scoffed at herself. She knocked and held her breath.

No one answered. However, a few seconds after her fist hit the wood, she thought she heard children's voices whispering inside. Huh. She could not distinguish any words, just the youth in them, and she batted down the nosy part of her personality that said to press her ear to the door and listen.

The door opened. Two boys stood there staring at her with a mix of curious and distrustful eyes. Videl gaped. Both seemed familiar to her, but she could not put a name to them. The one with the spikey black hair was the first to break the silence. "Hey! Who are you?"

She was not immediately recognized as Videl Satan? She wasn't sure whether to be offended or relieved. Forcing the words out, she offered a smile. "My name's Videl. Is Gohan here?"

The older boy answered. "No." There was no further explanation.

She stood at the door uneasily and was thinking about excusing herself when the younger of the two spoke up. He glanced around, unsure of if he should do this, and then smiled. "Do you want to come in miss?" She nodded.

The children stood aside and Videl walked in. It was a nice home. Clean, but she couldn't help but think that it was dark. With the curtains drawn, the only light came from another room, where she guessed the two were before they answered the door. She could not see Gohan or any adults.

The raven-haired boy closed the door and smiled at her. "I'm Goten." He waved. She remembered that Gohan mentioned his brother in the past; he must have shown a picture once. He pointed at his friend. "That's Trunks." The older kid scowled but wiggled his fingers in a brief greeting.

Redness crept up her cheeks, and Videl cursed herself in her mind. She had no idea what she was doing. This wasn't what she expected when she came to check on Gohan. "Where's Gohan?" she asked. For some reason, she kept her voice low. It felt right in the somber atmosphere.

Goten blinked in confusion. "He always goes to the mountain to train today." She furrowed her brow. Train? Goten continued before she could ask. "Do you want to play games with us? We were stacking up building blocks!"

"Sure." She replied. She was curious to ask Gohan what he was doing when he got back, and it would be a shame to spend all the time flying here for no reason. Goten grabbed her wrist and tugged her in the direction of the lit room. The room was spotless besides a stack of blocks and action fingers piled at the center. Videl was shocked (and somewhat grateful) to see that they did not have a Mr. Satan figure. Those were always embarrassing to pass in stores.

Unsure what to do, Videl sat down next to the two boys, content to just watch. She was not the greatest with kids, and that showed in her posture. When they stared at her, she smiled.

Trunks was quiet when Goten chatted away, though he sent a few glares her way. She wondered what his problem was. After some thinking, she realized he must be Trunks Briefs (since when did Gohan know them?), which explained his haughty rich boy behavior. There was something else though. He had tense soldiers and frowned even when engaging with his friend. Goten, in reality, wasn't much better. There was honest happiness in his eyes, but he seemed tired and anxious about something.

What was wrong here?

Videl wanted to ask. One of her best traits: her curiosity, and how that led her to read a situation properly and get answers. One of her worst? Nosiness. She believed that if she questioned she would fall in the latter category. She had no wish to pop the uneasy bubble hanging over the room.

"Where are your parents?" She assumed if Trunks visited all the way out here it was not alone, and everything Gohan said about his mother was that she would hover to make sure her children were all right.

Goten deflated at her words. He picked up his action figure and idly crashed it into one of the buildings. "Mom always spends the first half of this day by herself. I think it's 'cause she doesn't want us to see her weak. Then she'll make a big feast tonight!" He managed to finish with a bit more enthusiasm. "She's in her room right now looking at old pictures."

Debating over it, Videl guessed they must be grieving. She remembered locking herself away in her room after her mother died. That or holed up the gym, where no punching bag stood a chance.

Trunks took a minute to answer, not wanting to. "Mom is always mopey today. She locks herself in her lab and makes sure to get something productive done. Dad's the opposite. He says as a mark of respect to not train on the day an honorable warrior died. He isn't able to look at me properly though. I come here to get a break and spend time with Goten."

Her heart went out to the two boys. She was clueless on how to help, understanding little on the situation, but picked up one of the action figures and played city vs. monsters with them.

Time trickled by slowly; however, Videl could not find it in herself to worry about it too much. She knew it was selfish- claiming the boys' time on a serious day and leaving her friends and father back at Satan City. She did not believe that her father would mind too much; this was the busiest day of the year for him. As long as she was back by dinner (without the world breathing down their necks) she would be fine. Although she felt bad leaving Erasa and Sharpener, she sent Erasa a text saying that she won't have time to meet up again today.

She cared that the air was peaceful. Not necessarily happy, yet the lack of energy in the air compared to the spark currently going on in Satan City was a relief.

"Oh," Videl's gaze traveled to the door to spot who had spoken to see an older woman standing at the doorway. Her hair was pulled back, and tired lines creased her face. It took only a moment for her eyes to sharpen and assess the stranger in her house.

"Mom!" Goten stood up and launched himself in his mother's arms within the next second. She smiled down at him and then turned her eyes back on Videl.

"Hey Aunt Chi Chi." Trunks said, stacking a few blocks up before placing his action figure on top.

Bringing herself to her feet, she smiled at the older woman. "Hello. I'm Gohan's classmate, and I wanted to check in on him. I'm sorry I didn't have number to call ahead of time." She was aware her words sounded stilted, and she squirmed under the scrutinizing glare.

"Is that so?" Chi Chi's voice was hard, yet Videl took some comfort that it was not angry. Before the mama bear could ask anything else, Goten tugged on her sleeve.

"I let her in. She's nice and has been playing with us."

Chi Chi sighed softly. "You can't just let strangers in as simply as that, Goten." The wide puppy dog eyes the child deployed took a few seconds to melt her heart. It succeeded; Videl was impressed even as the crime fighter in her agreed with Chi Chi.

She stepped forward and offered her hand. "Videl. I should have come to you when I came in, but the boys made it sound like you needed time alone." Before she could use her last name, something caught in her throat and she had a gut feeling that will be a bad idea. Chi Chi accepted the hand and gave a wane smile.

"Thank you. I also apologize; I should notice when a guest or intruder enters my home." Videl could tell how worn out the woman was so did not comment further. The mother went on. "And for looking after these two. It could be a handful on good days."

"It wasn't a problem."

Chi Chi left for the kitchen to start on cooking, and Goten trailed after her to help. Trunks stayed behind to pick up the blocks and action figures, and Videl bent down to help him. She worked her mouth to ask the question that's been lurking at the back of her mind since she arrived. "Why is everyone so down?" Her hushed voice still seemed too loud since the last thing she wanted was to step over unknown bounds.

The child's intense blue eyes stared into her own. It was impossible to read his expression before his shoulders slumped. "It's the anniversary of when Goten's dad died." He snapped and piled the rest of the toys in a nearby box.

X_X

Videl was about to excuse herself and head back home – she had no idea when Gohan was supposed to get back and she could see her friend – but the hollow feeling in her gut told her to wait a few more minutes. Her nosy side reared its head and demanded she asked for more details, yet she shoved it down. It was easy to guess that at school Gohan did not like to talk about his dad. The side of her that mourned after the loss of her mother empathized with him. She knew about her friend's loss, but seeing the grief in work was another thing.

Chi Chi focused on Goten as pulled out a lot of ingredients out of the fridge. "Can you go find Gohan? We'll be ready in a couple hours and it will be good for him to get out of his head and help."

Videl's vocal chords worked on their own accord. "Can I do it?" She flushed under the attention, yet she met Chi Chi's eyes with her own. She pushed on, "Please? I came over to see him, and afterward I'll get out of the way." Chi Chi seemed suspicious, and Videl did not blame her. She probably sounded like a love-struck girl. Her brain harrumphed at the thought. The truth was, in this moment, the part of her that yearned to be a hero screamed that she helped out.

She was surprised that the older woman relented. Chi Chi shook her head and then gazed out the window. "Fine, but you should watch yourself." Maybe the matriarch was not as keen at the idea as she believed. "He's never one to talk much today. You can find him on the top of the mountain there." She motioned outside the window to where she was talking about. Prior to the woman being able to change her mind, Videl thanked her and quickly left through the door.

She brought out her capsule jet and looked off in the distance. That was quite a ways away. And at the top of the mountain? She wondered how Goten would have gotten there in time if he wasn't old enough to drive or pilot anything. Shaking the stray thought out of her head, she headed off.

 **A/N** : I tried to convey that uneasy feeling one has when being around people grieving on the outside looking in, and unable to fully understand/do anything to help. Not sure how well I did. Next half will be up soon and look to see how Gohan copes with his grief.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Here's the second half! What I tried to accomplish with this story was two separate views on the grief caused by Goku's death- one as an outsider through Videl, and one with a personal stake through Gohan. I hope the flashbacks with Gohan don't take away from the flow before catching up with Videl as I tried to showcase that.

Enjoy, and thank you to all the readers for this story.

* * *

Gohan paused when he landed outside Capsule Corp. He was invited, of course, but the eleven year old usually visited with either of his parents. Chi Chi enjoyed visiting Bulma, and Goku loved Mrs. Briefs cooking. He looked over his shoulder, a frown marring his face. 'Can I play with Trunks?' Was what he asked his mother, as he reminded his dad to save some for him.

Huh. It was a weird feeling, but one he did not dwell on for long. He ran up to the door and knocked. Not waiting for an answer, Gohan used his key to get in. Bulma had given a few of her friends keys so they can get in for an emergency since it will take a while for anyone to answer the door on the resident end of Capsule Corp. The genius had said ruefully so that way no one will get the inclination to blow the door down.

He rubbed his ears, wondering why it was so quiet as he headed to Bulma's lab. There was no Vegeta storming over demanding Kakarot to leave his house, or Goku commenting that he didn't understand why the Briefs remodeled and changed decorations around so much. As it was, Gohan sensed Vegeta's ki training down the hall, and while the Saiyan Prince likely could tell he was here, he stayed where he was.

Gohan reached Bulma with no interruptions. She turned around in her chair, eyes scanning behind him for a brief moment. She smiled sadly. "What can I help you with, Gohan?"

X_X

The blood rushed to his ears, and Gohan noted that maybe his current state was a bad thing. It wasn't like he could help it. Rage boiled in his gut, and he turned Super Saiyan without realizing it. A thin string of reason held him back from taking it further. He hadn't since Cell, and the preteen decided that he never would again. Because that hurt, that destroyed him because now he had no father to help him out. And it was all his fault.

The world around him was a blur of crumbling earth. He was careful, though, no one was around for several miles. As his fist rammed into the side of the mountain, he realized a trickle of blood travel down his knuckles. Hm. He must have been at it longer than he thought; no stone should be able to do that. His breath ragged, he shrugged and swung around to kick the nearby boulder.

He continued throughout the rest of the day. The back of his mind noted the setting sun, yet he continued to ignore it. He knew Chi Chi would understand as long as he was back by dinner and to help with Goten before bed. Loneliness was not his fate, being in the middle of preparing a ki blast when a fist came out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground.

"Your self-awareness is pathetic."

Gohan knew that voice. He blinked dust out of his eyes to see Vegeta standing over him in a training gi. Grounding his teeth together, he sat up. "What are you doing here?" Vegeta remained unimpressed and crossed his arms.

"Checking on you. Your ki is erratic, and if you keep going unchecked you may blow up the planet by mistake." Gohan had no idea if the older Saiyan was joking; it was hard to tell with him. He flushed.

"What? Do you expect me to calm down?" He couldn't. He needed to tamper the well of emotions that assaulted his brain. And here no one else will get hurt.

Vegeta snorted and dropped into a fighting stance. "No. I expect you to control it. What kind of Saiyan do you think you are?"

X_X

The lull of the waves splashed against the sand. Gohan sat on one of the beach chairs at Kame house, with his eyes on the horizon. Everything in the world seemed so still. He sipped his coffee slowly, not breaking the stale mate he had with the environment. He was not much of a coffee drinker, yet he yeared something stronger today. The world contradicted his busy mind, and this was a compromise to get his mind elsewhere.

Krillin walked outside to join him. He had his own glass as he took the opposite chair. The short man sighed, "It sucks, doesn't it?"

Blinking the shock of the sudden sound, he sat up and looked at his friend. "Do you think we made the wrong choice not going to Namek to wish him back?" The waves against the shore teased him with the answer. This planet was whole, happy, but something- someone- was missing from it. "Dende says he can tell where New Namek is and it won't be impossible."

The former monk wanted to agree with him. He did, on most days, yet that did not change how things were, or what Goku's request was. He reached over and squeezed Gohan's shoulder. "This is what he wanted. He trusts you here on your own."

Nothing else was said as the sun shone down on the small island.

X_X

Gohan sat in the forest, recalling sometimes in the past where he came out here to do his homework. It was a good plan back then. He could go out by himself to either train or do school work- or neither. His parents would believe whatever they wished to in concern for his activity.

Now, he just required some fresh air. He had a book open in front of him, reading the words at his typical quick pace but not absorbing them. If someone asked he was sure he would be able to recount the whole chapter. It wasn't a complicated book. He turned the page. Did Chi Chi assign any homework for this? He couldn't say. He guessed it did not matter too much.

Maybe he should go on a jog? No, that would be too easy. He'll end up a hundred miles away without realizing it. He turned the page again and tapped his pencil on the pages. He could try it anyway. At this rate, he would finish this before he returned home.

"She was right; you are lost in your thoughts." A hand gripped the back of his shirt and lifted him up. Gohan went with it with no resistance, confused as he twisted around to see Piccolo hold him aloft.

"Mr. Piccolo. What are you doing here?"

"Your mother sent me out to get you for lunch, and I came because you said you'll be open for training this afternoon."

Gohan nodded. He remembered that now. He should really set an alarm on his watch. He gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry?"

The Namekian replied gruffly. "It's fine, Gohan. Though when someone calls you, you should make a habit to answer. After you get your Saiyan appetite filled, I'll help you with meditation."

X_X

"Gohan!"

He walked to his bedroom door and poked his head out. There was a squeal of delight from the kitchen, which he attributed to Goten. The child was hardly a year old but already filled with energy. Just like Dad. He chuckled. "What do you need?" He called back.

"Can you take Goten outside for some fresh air? He's becoming a handful." More cooing noises came from the kitchen, and he wondered what kind of mess he would be greeted by. He took his time entering the kitchen to find out. Truth was, it wasn't that bad. The budding toddler kept his reign of terror to knocking over some sauce Chi Chi was making.

"Sure thing." He strolled over to his brother and picked him up.

Chi Chi gave both of her boys a kiss on the cheek and ushered them to the door. "Have a fun time dears."

Gohan grinned. She was giving him an out to take a break on his school work, with the added bonus of getting her sons out of her hair as she made dinner. He winced as Goten pulled his hair. "We'll be back in the hour. Right kiddo?"

Ai!" Goten exclaimed.

X_X

Gohan finished his training for the day, sitting on a rock overlooking the forest near his home. He would have bugged Vegeta over a quick spar, yet they had the exact opposite methods for their vigils after Goku died. Gohan chose that day to train, while Vegeta made it his day off. And Gohan wasn't going to give the invitation in case the Saiyan Price took it as an excuse to wake him up on the crack of dawn the next day. That happened last year, and he would rather not repeat the experience.

Instead, he relaxed his body and finished with meditation before he returned home. His appetite already started to peak, and he wondered how much longer he could continue. It didn't surprise him that Piccolo was so good at it if he did not have to eat. Of course, his Namekian mentor would have chastised him for not focusing properly.

"Gohan!"

Startled at the noise, and on top of that, Gohan was shocked who it was that called him. Shit. Videl. What was she doing here? Noticing that he was hovering in the air, Gohan cut off the ki leaving his body and dropped like a rock. Unfortunately, he was close to the edge and stumbled over.

Videl's surprised squeak was almost drowned by the blood rushing to his cheeks. This was embarrassing. He heard his friend come over. "I'm so sorry! Let me help you up."

The voice belonged to Videl, no doubt. How did she know where to find him? That question joined the others as he shook his head from his spot. That spot dangling from one arm on at least a 100 foot drop. For anyone else, it would appear as a precarious situation. "No worries, I got it." He muttered and pulled himself up, twisting his legs around so he landed in a crouch.

"Oh."

He stood up and rubbed the back of his sheepishly. He must appear different to her. While he did not look beaten up or exhausted, he was covered in a thin layer of dust and in a training gi. It was a long way off from what he wore to school. It was also far from the casual outfit she may see if she caught him at Satan City before he went to visit Krillin or the others. Her confused eyes assessed him, with her brows drawn together.

"Hey Videl. Um… if you don't mind me asking- what are you doing here?"

She snapped out of her musings and in a second her no-nonsense attitude was back. "Right. I came here to visit you. You haven't been at school and I wanted to check and see if you were alright. And uh… your mother said to go get you since she'll have food ready soon."

He narrowed his eyes and gazed over the horizon. "You really can be nosy, can't you?" He kept his voice as neutral as possible. That did not succeed in hiding the fact that he came out here to clear his mind and be alone. Even if it would have been Goten, chances were he would still be a little snippy. She drew back, abashed, and he felt a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "You're right. If it makes you feel better, I didn't come rushing over to get in your business. I've been with the kids for the last couple hours." She smirked, and although her eyes were cautious over saying the wrong thing, she stepped back into her confident self.

"It's fine. Thanks for coming to get me. I guess we should head back?" Videl threw him off by showing up; however, he won't allow himself to be rude based on that.

"Sure."

Videl brought her jetcopter out, throwing the capsule on a clear spot on ground. Gohan was about to leave himself when his brain caught up with him. 1) Videl didn't know he could fly. 2) It will probably be as weird to jog back himself and beat her. So he was left stranded, standing there like an idiot. Luck was in his favor, as she asked. "Do you want a ride?" He accepted the cop out with a lopsided grin. "If you don't mind, I'm beat."

X_X

Videl watched Gohan from the corner of her eye. He seemed normal, minus the fact that he was apparently trained enough to appear fine after who knows how many hours he was out there. Maybe it wasn't that kind of training. He could have just needed a nice reading spot or have someplace for yoga. That didn't explain his gi or the rubble left behind though.

She was used to keeping her focus on multiple points while chasing criminals, yet Gohan stayed in his nervous zone. "Videl… is something wrong?" Okay, maybe it was unnerving to keep staring at him. She pressed her lips together and focused back on piloting.

"Nothing. So… do you go out and do this often?" Her curious side reared its head before she could stop it.

Gohan winced but answered in a calm tone. "No, I come out here to honor my dad, and also spend time by myself to clear my mind." Videl may have imagined the emphasis on myself, and she rolled her shoulders uncomfortably.

"That's nice."

Videl thought that it was awkward when she first arrived in the Son household. No, this was awkward. Stuck in a ride with an anti-social Gohan. She opened her mouth to break it; Gohan beat her to the punch.

"What were you doing before you came to visit?" It was clear that he didn't care too much, and that he did it before questions could be thrown his way. Nonetheless, Videl rolled with it.

"I was with Erasa and Sharpener playing carnival games. My goal was to avoid Dad and the paparazzi that follow him everywhere, especially today." She started to describe and imitate Mr. Satan, one hand on the controls as she motioned with the other. It wasn't the question she wanted to ask. However, she managed to get a laugh out of Gohan, so she counted it as a win.

They landed a few minutes later, and both teens were thankful to exit the jet. Goten and Trunks were outside waiting, and the younger child ran to his brother's side. "Big bro!"

"Hey kiddo. Everything go okay? Is Mom done with cooking yet?" Goten nestled in Gohan's arms and nodded once then answered the second question.

"No. But she let me knead the dough, and I didn't break the counter!"

He was genuinely pleased with the accomplishment. All Videl could think was 'that kid can break a counter?'

"He still cracked it." Trunks spoke up. He was amused throwing his friend under the bus. Videl laughed with Gohan as Goten gave an immediate rebuttal.

Gohan turned to her after the kids calmed down, with the debate clear on his face. "Would you like to stay?"

Videl was about to say yes. She bit her tongue and shook her head. Gohan was just doing the polite thing, it was clear that this was only meant for close friends and family. Besides, she needed to return home herself. Her father may be a big oaf, but she did enjoy their quiet dinner they had every year. It was one time where she could confidently steal him away from the press.

"No thank you. I am glad I could visit though. I think I needed the change of pace." Words formed at the tip of her tongue. She reached out for them without much success. She wanted to say thank you. Why? She wasn't sure. With zero luck on the verbal front, with a moment's hesitation, she gave her friend a hug. She hoped that conveyed her sentiment enough.

X_X

When she was back home that evening, she contemplated on what she learned. Gohan's dad likely died near the time of the Cell Games. The subdued family still seemed thankful. She regretted not asking him about it, but for once words had not been forthcoming. Later, then. For now, she amused herself with her father describing (in his over the top methods) how his trip to a preschool went earlier that week.

All in all, the world remained standing.

* * *

 **A/N** : Thanks for reading! You all are the greatest. If you need a boost for a hard day, here's hoping you have many great ones in the future to counter it.


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